


Sweet Dispositions

by Myth_is_a_Mirror



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Alcohol, Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Oral Sex, Sex, Snakes, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:42:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23620255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myth_is_a_Mirror/pseuds/Myth_is_a_Mirror
Summary: At Hades and Persephone's wedding, Hermes and Megaera both struggle with conflicted emotions, but striking up a friendship eases their bittersweet hearts. When Hermes drinks some of the special brew in Meg’s flask, things begin to go awry. If there is one thing a being never wants, its to have the Furies hunting you down.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus), Hermes/Megaera (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 62





	1. A Brighter Afterlife

**Author's Note:**

> Song on Repeat: ["Chapel Song"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYXhAmlfNP0) by Augustines
> 
> This short 3-part story is inspired by [Chinchela's](https://www.instagram.com/chinchela_art/) love of Hermes and [this fan art](https://www.instagram.com/p/B-4zgfvgwsy/) that I'm obsessed with. Join her Patreon. It's tons of fun!

The darkness of the Underworld had never felt so warm and inviting.

Hermes gave a courtesy smile to the hulking centaur and his large family, as he escorted them to seats on the groom’s side. The clean, grey marble benches they sat on were brand new. Everything was. Construction on the sprawling open-air amphitheatre situated on a promontory had only finished last week. The waters of Lethe and a clear night sky lay beyond the cliff their large party sat upon.

The Elysian fields would break ground next, and this crescent-shaped coliseum overlooking the starlit expanse was only the first of many changes. Hades was intent on making all of Persephone’s dreams come true, and the biggest among them was a better Underworld. A more just afterlife. 

And a brighter one too, if the thousands of bio-luminescent flowers decorating the columns and every available banister were any indication. Flocks of incandescent butterflies twisted in the air. Vines crisscrossed overhead, interspersed with living, leafy chandeliers illuminated by the flame-less light of Persephone’s special, glowing flowers. The heady scent and low light from the gold, pink, and blue blooms was breathtaking...dazzling...just like her. Or rather, them. Their powers combined had awakened like a force of nature.

Hermes walked back to his station at the back entrance, silently watching Persephone and Hades stand together at the altar. They shared an unbroken gaze. No one else even needed to be there. The wedding guests were witnesses only, not participants in the as yet unspoken promise of devotion between the new dread queen and her king. Their delight in the simple act of looking at each other made Hermes at once super happy for her and uncomfortable with the discontent that sat heavy in the pit of his stomach.

“Oh!” A soft voice squeaked as something bumped against his back. Turning, he saw the sweet-faced, purple Fury blush, sweating with nervousness. “My apologies, sir.”

 _Sir?_ He smiled and grasped her hand. “Hermes, please. And you’re Megaera, right? One of the Erinyes?”

“Just Meg.” Her palm was soft, and her hair snakes wiggled from their hiding place to blink at him in open perusal. She hesitated before answering, “And yeah. I’m one of the Furies. My sisters and I, you know...take care of the shades after the king's more...punitive judgements.”

“Take care?” He asked, though pretty sure he knew what they did. It’d always been a curious profession.

“The usual...whipping, starvation, hallucinations. It’s only for the very worst of people, you understand.” Meg shrugged and picked at the ribbon along her cleavage, drawing his eyes down. Her voice turned quiet. “Someone has to. And anyway, it’s just the 9 to 5. You’re ummm...you’re helping Thanatos with the new souls, right?”

“Sure am!” He placed a hand on the small of her back and urged her away from the aisle. “Can I help you to your seat?”

“Oh no, that’s okay.” She pushed a particularly friendly and smiling serpent back behind her ear. “I don’t mean to trouble you.”

“I’m an usher. It’s part of the job.” He walked with her. The swishing dance of her dress brushed his leg. It was a long, high cut gown in a fading mix of orange and reds that looked like sunset at his mom’s house. She was awfully cute, staring at her feet and biting her lip as they walked. 

“Truth is, I’m trying to avoid my sisters.” Glancing up at him, those dark purple eyes, wet with unnamed emotion, took his breath away, at least, until she looked away. “I’ll just hang out here...at the back.”

“You mind if I stand with you?” He could sense her distress, and it felt good to touch someone, even platonically. If Hermes needed a distraction from his own messy feelings, perhaps being a friend to someone else could help. “The ceremony is about to start anyway.”

She nodded, backing into the shadow of a large column a few paces behind the last row. When his hand fell away from her back and to his side, she grabbed it in a tight hold. While she didn’t look up at him, her gaze moved to the side. She waited tense, as if expecting him to pull back. 

Warm tenderness bloomed in his chest as he interlinked their fingers and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. The hum of tension in her body relaxed, and they sank into a companionable silence.

Soft string instruments struck up a lilting tune accompanied by the rise and fall of a choral group. The sound echoed in the round half-moon of the amphitheater and swelled up before the dark night swallowed it all. As Hecate recited the vows Hades and Persephone would soon repeat, the plants and butterflies glowed even brighter.

Meg’s sniffle surprised him. He moved closer and nudged her with his shoulder. “You alright?”

She gulped and looked at him with a tremulous, teary smile. He’d never seen anyone with such conflicting emotions in his life, so intense and on the surface. “It must be so wonderful, don’t you think? To have a love like that.”

 _Oof_. Like an arrow in his heart, Hermes was reminded of everything he didn't have after centuries of goofing off. Not that he necessarily wanted to be the man standing up there with Persephone. It’s just that she was moving on in life and he felt...stuck. But his companion had asked a question, so he mustered a conflicted smile of his own.

“Sure would be nice. They’re perfect for each other.”

Her bottom lip shook. A single tear broke free to slide down her face, followed by a shaky whisper, “They are, aren’t they?”

"Calls for a toast!" In an attempt to distract her, Hermes plucked the flask peeking out of her pocket. He unscrewed the top and gulped two long draws of the liquid. The burn hit late, and oh did it burn! He bent over, hacking and coughing. The back row turned to glare at him.

“Oh my stars! You’re a loud fellow.” Meg pushed him through a nearby door. They ended up in a big kitchen full of messy stacks of hors d'oeuvre trays.

Breathing free again, he looked up at her through scraggly locks of red hair. “What the hell was that stuff?”

“Hecate’s special brew.” She giggled and patted his back a couple more times. “It’s meant to be sipped, not gulped. You’re going to be veerrrry druuuunk.” 

Her pretty, squiggly hair and huge eyes swam in his vision, words already slurred in his mind. 

_Uh oh._ Drunk Hermes was a very, very stupid Hermes. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of such a pretty lady, so with a quick salute, he marched straight through a nearby door like a windup toy soldier. Thankfully, she let him go. 

_Oh! What a HUGE cake!_

Sixteen tiers at least, even on tippy toes Hermes could just barely reach the smallest cake. He pulled the top tier down carefully to get a better look at the ceramic cake topper. Persephone and Hades held hands with miniature versions of their entire pack of mutts seated at their feet. Hermes chucked the little, painted Persephone under the chin with one of his large fingers.

“You made a good choice, friendo. _Condragulashuuuuns_.”

Everything after that was a blur for quite some time.


	2. A Very Strange Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song on Repeat: ["Sweet Disposition"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C8e7nNLZNs) by The Temper Trap

_Well, that was weird_ , Meg thought. Hermes had never really talked to her before, so him marching off after downing almost all of her moonshine wasn’t a big surprise. And he’d looked so dashing in his black pants and vest. She trembled remembering the pleasant, stiffness of his starched shirt against her arm. 

_I probably bored him._ She huffed and took a sip of what little drink remained before sliding the flask back in her pocket. Women who wore dresses with pockets didn’t need a man! At least that’s what she told herself. All the serpent babies in her hair wiggled toward the door Hermes left through, but Meg put one foot in front of the other and returned to the ceremony. 

By the end of the vows, her handkerchief was well and truly soaked. The whole thing was all so luminous and romantic. Then, the kiss had the entire crowd sighing together. Pure magic. Persephone and Hades held each other as if their lives depended on it, tender but clutching. It made her heart squeeze, and in that moment, something else broke free. She couldn’t have a crush on a married man, a man so obviously perfect for the sweet goddess of spring. They were a lovely couple, and Meg didn’t feel the heaviness she did before. 

At night on the edge of a cliff, it felt like they were floating. Her eyes lit with wonder when an impossible number of glowing butterflies popped to life, twisting in a chaotic, technicolor tornado around the newlyweds. They dissipated into the crowd, brightening the open space and signaling the next phase of the evening. The party. Or, in Meg’s case, another chance to be a wallflower.

Without thinking, her feet carried her back to the side kitchen where she’d last seen Hermes. Instead of being empty though, her sisters paced around the room. They picked up items to inspect, sniff, or lick them, then discarded each one.

“Sisssssster!” Alecto slid up to her. How she thought sneakers with wheels were appropriate wedding attire Meg would never understand. “Hades has a job for us!”

_A job? At his wedding?_

“We’ve got a thief to catch!” Tisiphone’s gleaming red gaze lit with joy.

Alecto thrust a familiar black vest and crisp white shirt at Meg. “Bastard only got away because he threw these at me!”

Tisiphone sidled up to them and rubbed the wool fabric between her fingers. “It’s a rental with nothing in the pockets but this jibberish love letter. Crafty devil.”

Meg snatched the letter and tucked it into her cleavage. Of the sisters, she had the most experience with deciphering codes and puzzles. “Wait...hold on...what did they steal?”

Tisiphone and Alecto pulled her through the same door Hermes had left through. But it wasn’t an exit. It was a pantry.

“The wedding cake.” Alecto pointed to the tiered cake. Over a dozen tiers of buttercream frosting and rainbow candy flowers. Whoa.

“Nothing looks amiss, except this is on the counter.” Meg’s fingers trailed over the cake topper, an adorable reproduction of Persephone and Hades with their furry family.

“The top tier is gone.” Alecto’s closed fist slammed on the table, making the cake shake. “It’s supposed to be _sixteen_ layers.”

Tisiphone chuckled low, rubbing her hands together. “Unimaginable horrors await such a traitor to the realm.” 

“Pretty sure he was red.” Alecto scratched her head. The tension in Meg’s chest heightened. “Maybe that sneaky Underworld border guard. I’ve had my eye on him for a while.”

If it was Hermes, and Meg was pretty sure it was, she’d been the one to leave him in the kitchen alone and drunk. This was partly her fault. Her two older sisters would not be easy to deceive. They always got to the truth. Unsure of what to do, even her hair snakes withered and hid their faces.

“I’ll search the reception hall and closets. Alecto, you head to the underground level.” Tisiphone turned to Meg with a frown. “What are you sulking about?”

“N-n-nothing.”

“It’s probably her crush on Hades.” Alecto mumbled at Tisiphone through a closed mouth. “This is a tough day for her.”

“I’m standing right here!” Meg shouted. “Tell me where to go. We’ve got a job to do.”

“That’s the spirit!” Tisiphone grinned, sharp teeth ready to tear into the enemy. “You take the towers.”

As her sisters ran off in different directions, Meg trudged toward the entrance and its two circular towers marking the gateway. 

“What a night, huh guys?” Her little snake friends hissed a sweet, comforting song that lifted her spirits a little. Pushing in the front door, Meg’s mouth fell open in surprise. _Were the fates playing with her?_

Hermes danced, in a stumbling kinda way, around a small table. His fingers dipped into the tiny cake and popped an icing covered bite into his mouth every other time he spun around. He hummed a children’s lullaby and had the dopiest, most adorable grin on his face. She found herself smiling before remembering just why she was there.

“Hermes…” Meg started, voice wavering. Stomping her foot to inspire herself more than him, she yelled louder. “Halt, thief!”

His childlike smile turned into a teasing smirk. “So you do know my name?”

“Thief?”

“I’m the god of thieves.” With the cake in one hand, he winked and darted for the door, yelling over his shoulder, “Most people forget that.”

Stunned, she just stood there and watched his tight, round backside flee the room. Her sisters slid through the door only a moment later. 

“Found ‘em?” Alecto asked, breathless.

Meg froze. _Why can’t I say it? Hermes went that way._ The words didn’t come. Instead, she whispered, “Nope. Nothing here.”

“That mercurial bastard!” Tisiphone shouted and ran back out the way they came.

Alecto’s hair hissed and writhed as she walked to the window and stuck her head out. Each tiny serpent looked in a different direction. She spun, growling and pointed to the door Hermes had fled through. “You go that way. We’ll reconnect out back in ten minutes if no one’s bagged 'em.”

On shaking legs, Meg walked through the door. _Traitor...traitor_...her mind chastised her. But her body hummed with nervous energy. She had done something bad, something very wicked indeed. Furies didn't shirk their responsibilities.

Just outside, she caught sight of Hermes’ profile, backlit by the moon. He sat on the ledge of the neighboring tower, legs dangling off the edge. Even his dress shoes had wings. His fingers dug into the icing, scooping dollops of cream and cake into his open mouth. He looked like a baby bird. A drunk baby bird. A shirtless, drunk, baby bird with muscles and the loveliest smile she’d ever seen.

Smoke-like wings, more tendrils of netting than feathers, unfolded from Meg’s back. She flew to him, as silent as a gentle wind. Landing just behind her prey, her wings dissolved and she tapped his shoulder.

“Hiya!” He spun and chopped a hand wildly in the air. Meg was used to such tactics and ducked on instinct. The cake toppled from his other hand, and she caught it easily. His fast blinking gaze showed his surprise.

“Why’d you do it?” she asked, hiding the cake behind her back.

His defensive posture softened, and he crumpled in a heap.

“It was really mean wasn’t it?” He looked up with tear filled eyes. “Seemed harmless to steal the smallest cake, but it’s her wedding.”

“The top tier is kinda important. It’s the piece couples save to eat on their anniversary.”

He gasped, and big fat tears splashed to the stone floor.

“I didn’t know. Drunk Hermes is the dumbest Hermes.” He smacked his head so hard, she felt a sympathetic ache in her own temples. “I'm a no-good friend. I’ve proven that several times over.”

Sadness Meg knew well, but in this silly god, it seemed out of place. She wanted him smiling again. Perhaps she could help him set it right.

“You’re jealous?” she asked, setting the cake on the ground. “You want to be with Persephone?”

“With her?” He looked up. “No...I want to be her.”

She pulled back in surprise.

“I’m envious.” He shook his head and sighed. “I was the youngest god before she came along. And here she goes, only 20, and marries a king. We were….we were kids together. I didn’t need to be _with_ her, just...why did she have to grow up so fast?”

“You feel left behind?” Meg stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I know the feeling. I could pass as a member of TGOEM over here.”

It was Hermes turn to look surprised. “You?”

“Kissed a few frogs, and I-I-I’m not a 400-year old virgin or anything, but...close to it.” She shrugged, blushing as he stood up and assessed her from head to toe. His height seemed immense, blocking the bright moonlight completely. 

“Why?” The heat of his bare chest filled the air with a heady energy. She wanted to lean into the temptation, but they barely knew each other. 

“I’m the gorgon girl...a tragic loser. Why not?”

“You’re radiant, Megaera.” His large, red palm fell to her flushed cheek, and her heart beat like a drum. She was afraid to look in his eyes, but couldn't resist. And what she saw there was not charm or seduction, just truth. “A beauty. Even a fool like me can see that.”

The stars, the cover of darkness, and the echoing words of love from the ceremony gave her a courage she’d never had before. She pushed up and kissed him. The taste of cinnamon surprised her, then a hint of sweet icing. She smiled against his lips.

He growled and pulled her closer. With his hand on her ass, she was lifted in the air, feet dangling. His mouth twisted, and the kiss deepened. Tongues danced. How long since she’d experienced such delight? Had kissing ever been this good? Her hands trailed over his strong shoulders then down his chest. _The body of a god_ , mortals wistfully proclaimed. And they weren’t wrong. The lean, muscular lines of his body were hot to the touch but soft and inviting. 

“Meg...Meg,” he repeated her name like she’d bewitched him. His sweet breaths panted at her lips between kisses, eyes dazed and closed. But he didn’t seem drunk anymore. He stood solid and strong, gripping her fiercely. _Wow...he’s really good at this._ His lips moved over hers with delicious intent. She met his energy with a frantic, bottled up need of her own. Even the snakes in her hair tried to get in on the action, coiling and flicking their tongues into his hair or across the sides of his face. “Gods, Meg.”

She pulled away for fresh air, but left her fingers curled in his hair, legs wrapped around his back. Breathing hard, she tried to recenter her mind. His mischievous, glimmering eyes urged her to continue the kiss, but she knew there was only one right thing to do. 

“We should be responsible and return the cake.”

“Responsible isn’t exactly my middle name.” He chuckled. “But for you, I could make an exception. I also...want to do it. I want to be a better friend to Persephone.”

“Oh shoot, I’m supposed to meet my sisters in a few minutes. We don’t have a lot of time.” Meg untwined herself from him and picked up the cake. She set it on top of her head, letting her hair serpents hold onto it for her.

They fled down the tower stairs and across a midnight field. The tall grass rustled in the wild wind off the cliff. Her imagination told her invisible spirits of chaos danced there. Meg felt like one of them, running behind this ruby god who called every moment an adventure. 

The stained glass door of the reception hall ahead glowed from within. Pink and blue figures. A dark beast. The witch of the crossroads. Meg and her sisters were even in the colorful, translucent tableau. It was a nice touch to be among the greats.

Hermes winked back at her just as they slipped through the door. She kept a hand on her head, worried about the messy cake. Instead of joining the festivities, they darted straight into the dark passageway along the outside of the round building. It was the long way around the reception hall, a kind of circular greenhouse. One wall was made up of curving, glass windows with the other side full of greenery in all shapes and sizes. The moon was their only light besides the stray glowing butterflies that had found their way among the foliage.

Hermes’ hair floated behind him as he ran like crimson flames. She wanted to reach out and twine her fingers in it again. _Was this all just a wild escapade for him? Would he ignore her afterward or worse, feel regret for having touched an untouchable fury?_ His compliments and his sweet kiss burned bright in her mind, but her self-doubt was older. Familiar worry clenched in her gut.

Alecto’s voice snapped her back to reality. “Last pass through here, and we’ll meet up with Meg.”

Her sister must be just around the bend. Meg yanked on Hermes arm, and dragged him into the closest supply closet. Pressed close together, he seemed even bigger. Her hair had a mind of its own, wiggling out to taste the skin of his neck and chest. He smiled and lifted a hand, and they took turns licking him, hissing a pleasurable song.

Tisiphone’s deep voice passed them by. “I admit the deceiver has given us a run for our money, but my patience wears thin.”

Meg whispered, “It’ll just be a moment. They’ll be gone soon." Hermes put a finger to his lips with a nod.

A commotion on the other side of the thin closet wall made them both flinch and turn their heads. They must be right up against an adjoining room in the reception hall.

“Don’t worry,” The unmistakable bass of Hades’ voice sang out. He was so close, it was like he was right next to them. “The thief will get their just desserts, my queen.”

“The puns,” Hermes exhaled quietly, rolling his eyes.

“I always thought they were kinda cute,” Meg whispered.

Hermes' eyes narrowed.

Persephone’s chuckle had their mouths snapping shut. “You know I don’t care about that little cake. I just married the most handsome and wonderful man in all the known realms. If my king wants a sweet treat, I’ll bake him ten.”

“I want a sweet treat alright.” A deep, masculine grumble preceded the wet sound of kissing and rustle of clothing. Muffled words they couldn’t make out were followed by the queen’s giggle. Hades’ voice pitched up. “You’re telling me these blue flowers are….are because of me? All this time?”

Persephone’s laughter kicked up. Instead of the sad, jealousy Meg was used to, she felt...happy. Her little serpents hiss-giggled to each other. _How could he not know the queen's blue flowers were for him?_

“Two idiots in love, amiright?” Hermes beamed down at her. His large, warm hand fell to her cheek. He rubbed his thumb along her jaw, palm feeling down her neck. One fingertip traced her collarbone. Tingles sparked all over her skin as his silly smile was replaced with a soft look of wanting. He...wanted her. Truly. Then, a whisper, “Time to go. Be responsible, right?”

Meg nodded and opened the door. That was the idea. Make this drunken mistake right, even if it sounded like Persephone didn’t really mind that he'd taken the cake.

Stepping out, Hermes looked up and down the curving pathway on both sides. His grip tightened on her hand. Meg’s fingers flew to the messy remains of the cake still nestled in her hair. A rivulet of icing slid down her cheek. Smirking, Hermes leaned down to lick it away. Goosebumps broke out over her skin. If the newlyweds weren’t on the other side of the closet wall, Meg had half a mind to drag him back in there and kiss him silly again. Give it ten minutes before they had to be responsible.

But they didn’t have ten minutes. 

Two dark figures rose from the flower beds on either side of them.

“I told you I smelled that cake! Ha!” Alecto crowed.

“Meg?” Tisiphone’s mouth fell open in shock, a rare emotion for her eldest sister. In a flash, it morphed to the red haze of anger. “That’s a very strange hat you have, sister!”

_**ART INTERLUDE** : Thanks to [Chinchela](https://www.instagram.com/chinchela_art/) for surprising me with this adorable piece of art!! (I added the background like a shitty ass graphic designer...go with it lol)._


	3. Love Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song on Repeat: ["My Type"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyVPyKrx0Xo) by Saint Motel
> 
> Content Note: If you don't like snakes, be warned. There is a not-suitable-for-work (NSFW) illustration in this chapter (read: Nudity! Nothing too graphic).

_Sweet, sweet Tartarus. Don’t piss your pants, fly boy_ , Hermes encouraged himself.

He’d only just recovered the ability to think straight after that “special brew.” Realizing what he’d done - stolen part of the wedding cake - had made him sick to his stomach. And Hades must've been real angry to send the Furies after him. Distracted by the amethyst-eyed cutie next to him, he’d almost forgotten what she did for a living.

“Good job, girl!” Alecto pointed at their intertwined hands. “Meg’s got the thief and the cake.”

Tisiphone saw the truth, though. Meg dropped his hand and stepped in front of him, lifting her chin in defiance.

“Hand over the culprit,” her tall, grey sister’s monotone voice was accompanied by the crack of a whip. A whip on fire...with barbs. 

Hermes’ asshole clenched.

“No!” Meg raised a hand, flourishing a giant torch. The flames licked higher than his head. Shadows and shapes danced within. He leaned closer to it. _Were those ghosts or monsters?_

Hermes blinked and stepped back a couple paces, looking away. Perhaps it was a tool meant to hypnotize her subjects at her “day job.” _Wild._

Meg’s feet braced apart, standing solid as an oak, more imposing than her small, curvy frame might lead one to believe. Pulling the messy cake down with her free hand, she thrust it to Alecto’s outstretched hand. 

“It was partly my fault,” she said. “He drank my hooch, and it scrambled his wits. Just cut out the messy part and return it with my apologies. I’ll make it up to them.”

Alecto set the crumbling cake next to a curling ivy on a side table. “Hecate has a backup cake. We don’t actually need this...wreck.”

“You really like this loser?” Tisiphone eyed him. Hermes recognized when someone was unimpressed with him. Usually, he didn’t mind. Sometimes he even used it as part of a ruse. But tonight, with Meg, the other Fury’s judgement rankled.

“He’s not a loser. How dare you?!” Meg’s outraged words slithered through him like a hot drink. Hot chocolate late at night. A perfect cup of tea when he needed to take a breath. Comfort and relief. No one stood up for Hermes. Most people enjoyed his company, but few liked him enough to really care, let alone fight for him. “And yes. I do like him. A lot.”

His eyes bugged in surprise. One of her serpents danced toward him, and he reached out to pet it, wanting to feel that she was real and not some fearsome fantasy come to life.

But she was very real. Her sisters reminded him of that. Both of them brandished whips now, circling him in counter rotating laps.

“Hey dummy…” The bottom fall of Alecto’s whip brushed against his leg. “Hurt my sister and I’ll crush your genitals into a fine gooey soup.”

Tisiphone’s blood-red gaze caught him as she passed. “Hear that big red? Make Meg cry, and I’ll tie you down and let rats nibble off your nipples.”

Alecto pushed him with her elbow. “Listen clumsy, break Meg’s heart and my chimera pups will crisp you up before eating you alive, one organ at a time.”

The snapping sound of a whip crackled in the air, and Tisiphone whispered at his back. “If you make her unhappy, I’ll kill the one thing you hold most dear.”

“What’s that?” Hermes asked before thinking better of it. Crossing in front of him, Tisiphone answered, “If it’s anything other than Meg, I’ll figure it out and _schhhnk_.” Her thumb sliced across her throat.

“LEAVE!” Meg shouted, fists out to her sides. Paper-thin, shining silver wings snapped out. The light reflected off the netting in sparkles that danced on every surface like a disco ball. “You’re embarrassing me in front of my-my friend!”

The yellow and gray sisters exchanged a sneer. Alecto started, “Well if your friend doesn’t-”

“I SAID LEAVE!” Meg rose higher in the air, sending angry gusts of air at them with her wings. Her shout should have struck fear in him, but instead his body buzzed with pride. Her beauty was a terrible and arousing thing. He’d never seen someone so small look quite so dangerous, and his pulse kicked into high gear.

“Fine, fine.” Her two older sisters leaned back with a grimace. Tisiphone glared at Hermes as they left. “Everyone has to make their own mistakes, I suppose.”

Meg exhaled at their retreating backs, dropping gently to her toes on the stone floor. Her body trembled, voice barely a whisper, “Sorry about them. They can be-”

“Badass!” Hermes turned her around by the shoulders and smiled down at her. His grin widened. “You guys are freaking awesome. Though you’re the cute one, obviously. I didn’t even know you had wings, ya sneaky little noodle.”

She giggled. “I had a complete meltdown, and my sisters threatened your delicate parts. You still think I’m cute?”

He pet her wings, and they quivered, dazzling and barely visible, like a fine, metal veil. She was deadly but delicate, the best of both worlds. The serpents in her hair wriggled slowly, a dozen eyes watching him, batting tiny lashes. _What a woman!_

“I seem to remember I also called you radiant and beautiful. But if cute does it for ya-”

She grabbed his hand and ran. He had no choice but to follow. Her wings started up and he jumped to fly with her. Over her shoulder, she yelled, “There’s a place I wanna show you!”

She burst through an inconspicuous door and down dark stairs. Her torch burst back to life, but only with harmless, campfire flames, not the ghoulish ones. Around a corner and through a large, thick door, they skidded to a stop on a finely made carpet.

Books were everywhere. The dry, old smell of them perfumed the air. Bookshelves covered every wall, except one where a giant aquarium, lit from within, took up an entire length of the room like a glass wall. Electric eels and sherbert-colored seahorses twisted lazily in the water, undisturbed by the interlopers. Flowerpots hung from the ceiling in crocheted slings. 

Hermes spun, taking it all in, only stopping at seeing Meg. The violet beauty in a sunset dress looked at home in this strange, lovely space. Her torch still burned in her hand, casting dramatic shadows over her face. Her lashes looked long and exotic. Her eyes sparkled. But nerves seemed to take her over, as her fingers twisted in the embroidered edge of the long slit in her gown. _Stop staring dumbstruck at the girl! Make a joke!_

“You’ve kidnapped me, dear Fury. It’s only right to introduce me to my prison.”

“This is Persephone’s library. Well...one of them.” She relaxed and bent to the side tables, lighting candles as she walked around the room. When the room was illuminated with a soft, dancing light, her torch disappeared. “She told me I could visit anytime.”

He stepped closer, no longer happy with the distance between them. There were no cakes or torches or murderous sisters between them anymore.

Only clothes. 

* * *

Hermes closed in on her, hugging her shoulders tight with one long arm. His free hand arched to the ceiling. “I can see the headlines now. The Great Cake Napping.” 

She couldn’t help but laugh. Her sisters had all but threatened his life, yet he remained unfazed, unlike anyone she’d ever met. Worry rolled off of him like water. Negativity went in one ear and out the other. The man wasn’t dumb, he was...optimistic.

Meg had always felt like the oddball in her family, with all her hopes and dreams. Wishes were not for furies. They dealt in cold, hard facts. Justice and punishment were their domain, seeing only the black and white of the issue. It was their way, and the sisters were great at their jobs, feared and respected by all.

But a tiny spark of Meg wanted more. Something good and light and selfish, just for her. She wanted...love. Even thinking about it sent a hot blush to her cheeks. She nuzzled into his neck to hide, as he railed on about the headline. Within minutes of letting her crush for Hades wither, a new one had formed. She felt the obsessive sickness of it. _Foolish girl._

“Wild and willful fury turns against her own to rescue a god down on his luck.”

Her gaze snuck up to him. This wasn’t like with Hades, was it? He...enjoyed her company, praised her. _Wild and willful_. Tonight, she had been.

The look Hermes gave her was more than sweet and innocent. In the darkness of the secluded room, this bright, young god turned into a man full of intensity. The way he leaned toward her, the bob of his throat, and the tongue that swept out to lick his lips told her what her inner critic would never dare believe. He wanted her.

“What will the heroic Erinyes choose as her reward?”

“Reward?” 

He clasped the nape of her neck and leaned forward. Dazzling red and white eyes fell on her, half-lidded. “A kiss for the rescued maid- I mean, man?”

“Maybe more than a kiss.” Her voice came out lower and huskier than she’d expected.

“Here?” His eyes went round.

“I’m wild...” Meg’s hands fell around his waist as she pressed forward. The heat of his body transferred to her, pooling in her chest and further down. “...and willful.” He grunted when she pushed him down on the velvet chaise lounge. “And I will have you, thief.”

He studied her as she dropped to her knees, hands quickly undoing his trousers. His fingers dug into the tufts of the couch, veins popping out in his arms. When his thick, red cock sprung free, she kissed it, looking up to be sure he didn’t mind her impulsive decision. His manhood thickened in her hand at the same time that shining smile dawned on his face again.

“I’m at the lady’s disposal.”

She licked around the head, learning the terrain with her hands. He wasn’t long, but he was so thick her fingers barely grasped around him. Imagining that inside her had her squirming and wet. Wrapping her lips around and taking him further into her mouth, she sucked and peered up.

“Fates.” Small gusts of breath exhaled from his parted lips as he stared at her.

She took that as encouragement to slide him deeper into her throat, licking around the base of his shaft and palming his balls. Up and down she worked him, and each time she looked up, his hot gaze only fueled her desire.

Then, the thing she should have expected but didn’t. The long, excitable serpents in her hair got in on the action, snapping out and reaching for him. They wriggled against his warm skin. Their long, thin tongues licked his balls, his hips, and the base of his cock as Meg’s mouth reached the tip. Her tongue traced around the ridge as she applied a stronger suction, watching him as every part of her sought to please him.

“Holy Gaia and f-f-fucking sugarsnaps!” He babbled nonsense. “Whoaaaaaa, that’s new.”

There was no sense hiding that she was a Fury, in believing she was a meek woman who begged for attention. She was a force of nature, and for once, Meg felt like it. The truth of her power was reflected in the awed, slack jawed expression on Hermes’ face. Her talents were not just for torturing evildoers. She could even bring a god to his knees.

“Enough of this, missy, or I’m gonna blow.” He dragged her straight up to straddle his lap. She kept her hands stroking his dick. “You’re a sweet surprise.”

“So are you!” She pecked on the lips, quick, several times. “You made me laugh on a day I wasn’t supposed to. You’re so easy to love.”

“Love?” His shock was childlike and happy, but still she pressed her forehead to his bare shoulder, afraid to meet his eyes.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that.” She gulped and brought her gaze back to him, kissing him sweetly, once, before she resolved to tell him the truth…her greatest fault. “My heart falls too easy, too fast, too far.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Hermes tilted his head and inspected her, pulling at an earlobe. The silliness melted from his face. “No one ever falls for me. Not fast or far. Is it so bad that I kinda like it?”

 _Oh no! This was not expected._ Meg chewed on her lip, terrified that, for once, her feelings were reciprocated. The desire to bolt, to hide and pretend this never happened burned within her. But she breathed, in and out, and settled her wild, roving thoughts on just admiring his handsome face. His honest, sweet, warm face. A rakish, lopsided grin took shape. “But we can just fuck around a bit more. Slow isn’t exactly my speed, but I’ll give it a whirl.”

She launched forward, kissing him feverishly. “Slow isn’t my speed either.”

He fell back, half reclined, against the sloping back of the chair and grasped the soft curves of her ass. Clever fingers slid under her gown. With a ripping sound, her panties fell away. 

She kissed up to his ear and whispered, “I want you inside me.”

“Fuck, woman.” He groaned and thrust his still hard length against her. Skin to skin now, her arousal made the movement smooth. Hot, wet, and ready. His hips launched up slightly as his pants fell further down to his knees. He rifled through his pocket. “I have protection.”

“Oh.” She helped him take his pants off, but stayed in her dress. At the last minute, she shrugged out of the straps of her gown, holding the bodice up.

“You’re not gonna show me?” He rolled the condom on, then pulled her back astride his lap. Dropping his head to kiss her cleavage. “Do I have to beg for mercy, Fury?”

She didn’t feel as powerful as she had a moment ago, but mustered some of that confidence and dropped hands, wrapping them around his neck instead. The fabric just hung against her skin, and with each slow movement of his nose and mouth over her chest, if fell further away, until the whole front flopped over. He captured a nipple in his mouth and watched her as his tongue rolled over it. Arching back, she felt hot and cold all at once. Her only recourse to ease the growing ache was to swivel her hips on him and seek out that beautiful cock she’d been worshipping. 

She was so ready, so full of light and no more anxiety. She wanted him now, and reached down to grab his length and notch it at her center.

“You’re sure?” He popped off and held her gently.

“I need you.” The words came out in a gust as she let gravity do the work of pulling her down, all the way to the base of him. Oh, he was wide and the stretch was intense. His gentle eyes watched her, rubbing at her back in silent encouragement when she stopped. She paused and let her fingers dance through his hair, combing out the wild, wavy length. “I never thought I’d be here with someone like you.”

His jaw clenched, strong arms pulling her closer, as she made her first tentative movements up and down. Thankfully her hair played nice, and stayed back. Gods, each slide up and down proved how thick he was. Deliciously so.

“Attracted to the tragic heros, eh?” He smirked, but there was insecurity behind the tease. Meg could spot the emotion a mile away. 

“I guess so, but that’s not you.”

“What am I?” He searched her gaze as she rode him, as if only she could tell the truth of his soul.

“You’re sunshine. The opposite of tragic.” Meg rotated against him in circles. He groaned and grasped her tight, thrusting up. Each time she hit bottom, she gasped, pulling at his hair until it stuck out in all directions. “No...a wild sunflower...chasing the light.” They stared at each other as she rode him faster, and that telltale grin spread over his face, blinding in its sweetness. “We don’t get a lot of those down here.”

“That may change.” He hummed and grasped her tight. His fingers dug into her ass until they touched everywhere. “Persephone is your queen now. Change is constant.”

“You’re right.” Meg kissed him, and the sugary taste of the cake reminded her of springtime, long days, and fields of flowers. Color everywhere. ”The whole world seems to be changing.”

He blinked slow and kissed up her jaw as they moved in concert.

“That used to scare me,” she admitted.

He bit her earlobe. “You and I can change _with_ the world though, can’t we?”

Her heart fluttered at the _we_ , and her voice caught in her throat. “Yeah...I think we can.”

Her limbs trembled and sparkled with lust, while his movements grew stuttered.

“Will you come for me?” He laid her back onto the seat and reached a hand down to rub at the sweet spot that always hastened the end. But it was when he interlaced their fingers together she really let herself go, relaxed and settled into the harsh desire he pushed on her. In her. All over her.

Her gaze fell to their palms, clenched tight together. That’s all she’d ever wanted, wasn’t it? A connection with someone. Something gentle and meaningful. The heat built, and her feet shook, knees falling open as all the tension in her body burst out of her. Her head thumped back, watching him through half-closed eyes as he moved through her chaotic clenching.

“Fates, you’re beautiful.” His exhales were loud as he continued moving inside her. She was only too happy to let him have his way and circled her ankles over his back to urge him on. It didn’t take long. Only a few strong thrusts and he fell over her, his hot breath at her ear as he came in a quick, throbbing release. “Wild and willful sounds about right for you.”

She giggled and wrapped her arms tight across his shoulders in a bear hug. Everything felt perfectly in balance, regardless of where they found themselves in the future. Perhaps this is what she’d been missing in all her analyses and scrapbooks. The real person behind the fantasy, what intimacy felt like, smelled like, and tasted like. If Hermes didn’t want her after this, well...it would be his loss.

_**ART INTERLUDE:** A thousand thanks to the anonymous artist who made gifted me this AMAZING art of Meg and Hermes together. The... uhhhhh... snake bits just make good sense, yeah?_

He kissed her forehead and sat back. Breaking free of her body, he plucked the folded letter from the side table. “What’s this?”

“Oh! Ummm, Alecto found it in your vest.” She sat up and handed him his pants. “I’ll make sure to return your clothes tomorrow.” _If my sisters didn’t burn them_ , she thought.

“Uugggh, the letter,” Hermes whined and flicked the paper in the air. “Just another thing I screwed up.”

Meg caught and unfolded it, reading the three-line, scribbled handwriting, before looking back to him. Had he written this drivel?

“It’s from this mortal poet Apollo told me about. Total asshole. Big surprise.” Hermes waved his hand dramatically at the innocent piece of paper. “Hades commissioned it on my recommendation as a wedding present for Persephone. I’m not much of a reader, let alone writer, but it was bad. Bad-bad, ya know. I figured I’d eat the cost, and maybe he’d forget about it.”

She bit the inside of her cheek and reread it. Absolute trash...almost offensive. She could understand why Hermes would die from secondhand embarrassment handing it over. Meg stood and walked to the massive, polished wood desk, plucking a pen from the _Underworld’s Best Daddy_ coffee cup. 

“I have an idea!” She spun and pointed the pen at him. 

“Great! I never have good ones. Spit it out.” When she made it back to the chaise lounge, he pulled her onto his lap. The move was so casual, her heart thumped.

“Wellllll...I have a vivid imagination, and you are super creative!”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” She bopped him on the nose with the end of the pen. “Let’s give them their poem, but make it the best it can be. The cake is ruined, but we can fix _this_.”

“I’m the god of a lotta things, but poetry isn’t one.” Hermes’ grimace was comical. 

“You’re clever and full of joy!” She pushed his shoulder. “I believe in you. Okay, I’ll try to salvage a little bit and get us started. You jump in with something fresh and hip!” Meg coughed and straightened the paper, reading over it for a long moment before turning to him, placing a hand on her heart and giving him sad, puppy dog eyes.

“Already more than half the pages have been torn out of the little book of my life…” She paused and nodded at him to continue.

Hermes shrugged and gave it a shot. “Look, girl, already white hairs are sprinkled on my head...”

She stifled a chuckle and took back up a serious tone, pointing a finger in the air with an imperious look. “...announcing that the age of wisdom is drawing near. But still all I care about is…”

Hermes tickled her lightly and kissed the space behind her ear, his voice pitched low, “...laughing and drinking and the pleasures of the night.”

Her cleavage rose and fell on deep breaths. She didn’t bother with the paper anymore, only wanting to look at this cherry sweet god, be together with him and never have the night turn to morning. Inspiration struck, and she leaned close to kiss his knuckles.

“Still, in my unsatisfied heart, a fire is burning. Oh, Muses, my guides, write an end to it.”

His fingers unfurled like a bloom, and he cupped her jaw, a single thumb stroking over her bottom lip.

“Say, this girl, this one here, she is the end of my madness.”

* * *

_What a night!!!_

Hermes wanted to shout to the sky, but it was super late and...not the right place. He had royally fucked up, but somehow, like always, things turned out a-okay. No, more than alright. Meg was better than he could’ve ever dreamed. 

The two of them touched down from their quiet flight just at the property line of the Hades’ Underworld residence, and she tiptoed to peer over the gate door. Only seconds after a long whistle, Cerebus bounded out of the house and straight over the cement wall. 

_Holy shit._ Hermes wondered if this strange, enchanting woman would ever stop surprising him.

“Hades never took a shine to me.” Meg winked at him as she tied the handwritten poem around his neck. “But this good boy always did.”

When the giant, black beast returned home, Meg smoothed her hands down her hair. Sauntering back to him, he saw the bounce in her step. Those adorable little worms on her head smiled and batted their eyelashes in his direction. _Cute as a bug._

“You know what I learned tonight?” He hugged her close, drinking in the sight of those earnest, violet eyes.

Without warning, he shot up in the sky, kissing her gasp of surprise and twisting them in the night’s cool wind. When they came up for air, she beamed at him and answered his question before he could. 

“Sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too.”

  
  


**Afterword: The poem they wrote together is a translation from Philodemus, but let’s just pretend, shall we?**

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Kimmi and Sparzy for helping me brainstorm this silly lil plot and my beta-readers, Plan-Bee & Scarlet.
> 
> If you like my stuff, subscribe here on AO3. I’m also on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/mythisamirror/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mythisamirror) for more updates and thirsty content. I’d love to hear from you any which way :)
> 
> Important disclaimer: The characters and world utilized in this are all property of Rachel Smythe. Any similarity between this fan fiction and Lore Olympus is due to common source material, in the form of Greek myths, or pure coincidence. This is a love letter to Rachel Smythe's body of work, and she retains all rights to the characters and world.


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